Many Christian denominations do not permit women to be ordained as pastors or priests. We at Liberty Counsel do not take an official position on this matter. We do, however, defend those with sincerely held religious beliefs. And we believe it is dangerous to allow the state to establish what it deems acceptable doctrine. That is why we got involved in this case because the issue transcends one particular doctrine.

The Florida Department of Corrections just fired our client, a senior prison chaplain, because his church forbids him from training a woman to become a chaplain. He provided other possible solutions, but to no avail.

The prison warden told Chaplain Jim he must change his faith or lose his job.

Don’t let government actors force ministers to violate the tenets of their faith. Support our legal fund today and a special Challenge Grant will DOUBLE your impact.

Chaplain Jim* was terminated from his role as senior chaplain at a prison that houses 2,500 men. Recently, the prison warden and assistant warden hired a woman to serve in the men’s prison, and asked Jim, the senior chaplain, to train her to become an assistant chaplain. 

Chaplain Jim doesn’t mind serving alongside female chaplains of other faiths. He just cannot be the one to train a new female chaplain, according to his church’s doctrine.

Jim, and his church, believe that Titus 2 and 1 Timothy prohibit women from serving over a man and that women should not serve as biblical teachers to men. Jim explained to the warden that it would violate his religious convictions to be forced to train a woman to serve in that role. 

Chaplain Jim requested a religious accommodation to simply have someone else whose doctrine allowed female ministers to provide this woman’s ministerial chaplain training.

The prison has 13 other chaplains who could serve as the new female chaplain-in-training’s proctor.

But the prison warden refused and instead FIRED Jim for refusing to change his faith or violate his church doctrine.

As a pastor, Jim is required to live out and maintain the tenets of his faith as prescribed by the denomination to which Jim belongs. And because the Florida prison system hired Jim to serve as a chaplain, Chaplain Jim’s doctrine is integral to his job.

I am stunned at the audacity of the warden, insisting that a minister must “change his faith” to continue ministering.

The warden’s actions are a clear violation of the First Amendment, Florida law, and federal Title VII religious freedom rights. Not every church believes that women should not be ministers. But America’s laws REQUIRE the government to provide religious accommodation for people whose sincere religious beliefs conflict with the government’s dictates.

Liberty Counsel is representing Jim in this outrageous case of religious discrimination. But we need your help.

Liberty Counsel never charges our clients because we know that few could afford to represent themselves against the near endless resources of the government. Instead, our clients — like Chaplain Jim — rely on YOU, the faithful Liberty Counsel supporter, to ensure that religious freedom remains FREE.

Liberty Counsel is in an elite class when it comes to use of donor funds. Our non-donor income covers all administrative and fundraising expenses. Most of the non-donor income derives from attorney’s fees and costs that are recoverable from a government defendant. This means 100% of every dollar goes directly to Liberty Counsel programs. And Liberty Counsel operates on a debt-free basis.

Our record means you can be confident in financially supporting our work. 

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Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

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*Name changed for privacy.